1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to data storage for computers, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for managing information related to storage activities of one or more data storage systems.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Virtually all computer applications rely on some form of data storage. The term “data” generally refers to any information, including formatting information, computer code (executable programs), and other information that may be manipulated and/or utilized by an executable program. Accordingly, data storage systems generally can be used, for example, for storing computer code, a variety of variables and other information, and particular arrangements and organizations of data, such as databases.
In a variety of computer environments, a “backup” data storage system may be desirable in addition to a “primary” data storage system. Generally, a backup data storage system provides redundant data storage and archiving to permit recovery of data in the event of, for example, corruption of the data in the primary storage system, failure of the primary storage system, and the like.
FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a conventional computer environment 200 including a computer system 10, a primary storage system 12, and a backup storage system 14. In FIG. 1, the computer system 10 is coupled to the backup storage system 14 via line 18. The line 18 may represent a direct connection dedicated exclusively to transmitting information between the computer system 10 and the backup storage system 14. Alternatively, the line 18 may represent a non-dedicated connection such as an open network connection (as indicated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 1) which can be used for other purposes. For example, when the line 18 is a network connection, it may also be connected to one or more other computer systems similar to the computer system 10, or other network devices (not shown). In a network environment, the computer system 10 may be configured as a conventional network computer system. Examples of such systems include a Sun Microsystems computer system (running the Solaris operating system, a version of UNIX™), a Hewlett-Packard (HP) computer system (running HP-UX, a Hewlett-Packard version of the UNIX™ operating system), an IBM computer system (running the AIX operating system, an IBM version of UNIX™), or any other computer system with an associated operating system suitable for network operation.
In FIG. 1, the primary storage system 12 may be any type of storage system including one or more storage devices employing a variety of storage media, such as magnetic or optical disks, magnetic tape, and the like. Additionally, the primary storage system may include a processor and one or more controllers to manage writing data to and reading data from the storage media. While the primary storage system 12 is directly connected to the computer system 10 in FIG. 1, the primary storage system 12 alternatively may be coupled to the computer system 10 via a network (e.g., via the line 18 serving as a network connection or via a different network). One example of a storage system suitable for use as the primary storage system 12 in FIG. 1 is the SYMMETRIX line of disk arrays, available from EMC Corporation, of Hopkinton, Mass.
The backup storage system 14 of FIG. 1 may include one or more backup storage devices (e.g., disk drives, tape storage, or any other storage media), together with a processor and one or more controllers for storing data on the storage media and recovering the data from the storage media. An example of a backup storage system suitable for use as the backup storage system 14 is the EMC® Data Manager (EDM), also available from EMC® Corporation, of Hopkinton, Mass.
The EDM backup system is a “turnkey” product designed to manage and store large amounts of backup data. In particular, the EDM backup system is capable of providing unattended offline or online backup of one or more network client computer systems. For example, in computer environments such as that shown in FIG. 1 in which the line 18 represents a network connection, an EDM backup system may act as a backup server to one or more client computer systems (such as the computer system 10) coupled to the network. The EDM backup system is a fully integrated package that includes all required hardware (e.g., a host processor, controllers, user interface components, etc.), and software for storage media management and backup system operation. In addition to UNIX™ environments, the EDM backup system fully supports, for example, OS/2™, NetWare™, Windows NT™ and other operating systems, and is capable of performing database backup and restore operations for vendors such as Oracle™, Sybase®, Informix™, and Microsoft SQL™.
As shown in the computer environment of FIG. 1, the backup storage system 14 optionally may be directly connected to the primary storage system 12 via a dedicated line 20 (e.g., an EDM backup system may be connected directly to a SYMMETRIX storage system via the dedicated line 20). For situations in which the line 18 represents a network connection, the dedicated line 20 connecting the backup storage system 14 to the primary storage system 12 may improve performance when backing-up and restoring large amounts of data (e.g., large databases) by avoiding the transfer of data over the network.
As also shown in FIG. 1, the backup storage system 14 typically is coupled to (or includes) a user interface 22. The user interface 22 may include, for example, a keyboard, keypad and/or mouse, a display which is capable of displaying text and/or graphics, and a printer. The user interface 22 may be integrated as part of the hardware and software package of the backup storage system 14. Alternatively, some or all of the components constituting the user interface may be discrete components coupled to the backup storage system 14.
Through the user interface 22, a user (e.g., system operator or administrator) may access information related to backup activities performed by the backup storage system 14. For example, via the user interface 22, a user may access (e.g., display or print) information indicating the success or failure of completed backup data storage operations performed by the backup storage system 14 on one or more computer systems 10 coupled thereto. Information related to the backup activities of the backup storage system 14 typically is maintained in a portion of the storage area of the backup storage system.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a computer environment 202 in which three independent backup storage systems 14A, 14B, and 14C are employed as servers to accommodate data backup and restoration operations for a number of respective clients 100-108. By employing multiple backup storage system servers to accommodate the data storage needs of a number of clients, large amounts of data may be backed up and/or restored in shorter time frames than are possible with one backup storage system server for the same number of clients, as the multiple servers 14A, 14B, and 14C can operate in parallel.
In FIG. 2, the backup storage systems 14A, 14B, and 14C each is coupled to (or includes) a respective user interface 22A, 22B, and 22C. Each of the backup storage systems of FIG. 2 is also coupled to a respective network 180A, 180B, and 180C that can be used to transport data between the backup storage system and its respective clients. Alternatively, while not shown in FIG. 2, the backup storage systems 14A, 14B, and 14C, as well as the clients 100-108, may all be coupled to the same network, with particular clients being serviced by particular backup storage systems. In FIG. 2, each client may be similar to, for example, either the computer system 10 or the primary storage system 12 shown in FIG. 1.
One drawback of the computer environment 202 shown in FIG. 2, and with conventional backup storage systems in general, is that from each user interface 22A, 22B, and 22C, a user may only access information related to the backup activities of the one of the backup storage systems (14A, 14B and 14C, respectively) associated therewith. For example, a user is unable to access information related to the backup activities of backup storage systems 14B and 14C from the user interface 22A, even if all of the backup storage systems are coupled to the same network.